From a Research Intern’s Perspective (Part 1)

As part of my internship at Banting House National Historic Site of Canada, I need to plan a public activity for this summer. When my boss told me about it, I thought the event theme would be related to some of the most popular stories associated with Dr. Frederick Banting’s life, or at least the ones that I find more interesting: his first research related to the discovery of insulin, his experiments extracting pancreas from dogs, the story behind him receiving Canada’s first Nobel prize, his career as a military man, or even something related with his relationship with the British monarchy.

But no, the summer activity will not be related to any of those themes. In fact, is about something that happened 32 years after Dr. Banting’s death: the naming of a Moon crater after him. In 1973, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) met in Sydney, Australia and adopted 50 names for various Moon craters. While most names chosen were related to astronomers or physicists of astronomical importance, Banting’s name was included thanks to his role in the discovery of insulin and his contributions to medicine.

A crater named after Banting… I have to admit I didn’t see that coming! But after five months working at this museum, I should know better by now. Dr. Banting history is full of amazing stories which started early in his life and didn’t stop after his death.

And don’t worry. In my next post, I’ll share more info about the Banting Crater Summer Event!

Raiza Báez is a Research Intern at Banting House National Historic Site of Canada. She is currently enrolled at The University of Western Ontario and is a Master’s Candidate in Public History. She has a B.A. in History and Journalism from the University of Puerto Rico.